The Video Game Thread

Have any of you played Dark Souls? I had a little free time on the long weekend and so I tried it out. I quickly scanned a few reviews on my iphone, looking at the scores, and then checked out the box. It gave me that Elder's Scrolls kind of feeling, I bought it expecting something like Elder's Scrolls. I got it home, popped it in and started playing... It's not Elder's Scrolls. I died like ten times on the tutorial boss before I finally beat him. They start you off with a broken sword, a wooden shield that doesn't block all damage and send you on your merry way to your unknowing demise with nothing more than a few signs on the ground to help guide you. The sign I read before the tutorial boss told me Happiness was ahead. Yeah, it sure was, if you consider happiness getting slaughtered countless times in a early fight that's more difficult than most game's final bosses. Anyway, I'm hooked. I've died about 20 times in the two hours I've played the game but I can't quit. I know why this game is so popular. Pride. Your pride is literally crushed in the first half hour of the game and it is your quest to gather the fragments so that you no longer feel like a 80 year old man using a PC for the first time. People continue to play this game because they refuse to admit they weren't "man enough" to get through it.

2k12 doesn't appeal to me because of the lockout. Rage doesn't appeal to me. I wanted something different that I could pick up and play occasionally. This one probably isn't it but I played again last night for an hour. I started over and managed to make it twice as far as the two hours prior, only dieing once in total. Anyway, once you get the controls down and it gets a little easier. Experience really helped too I think. I can understand the good reviews, you just need to be very focused when you play.

I'm not big on basketball games anyway. I don't get to play as often as I used to and so I usually tend to lean towards playing games like COD online for twenty minutes to an hour. I do however have a soft spot for medieval adventure games like Elder's Scrolls and I guess now Dark Souls. These games are tough to get into unless you're playing at least an hour session though.

Oh man when MW3 comes out I am going to be a write off. I played MW2 almost exclusively on my 360 until I got GoW3-now that's all I play. I just love the online for both...I can play for hours on end.

You really should get GoW3, you don't know what your missing. They have added a bunch of new mechanics to the cover system which just improves an already great system. Horde mode is new and improved. Ponit systems upgrades have been added to the online. Very cool game

Oh man when MW3 comes out I am going to be a write off. I played MW2 almost exclusively on my 360 until I got GoW3-now that's all I play. I just love the online for both...I can play for hours on end.

You really should get GoW3, you don't know what your missing. They have added a bunch of new mechanics to the cover system which just improves an already great system. Horde mode is new and improved. Ponit systems upgrades have been added to the online. Very cool game

Yeah, I'm kind of at the point now where MW3 comes out in a month and I still love Black Ops. I had it for PS3 and when I bought a new school 360 and sold my old PS3 that was the first game I downloaded. It was on sale on XBL marketplace for like $30. To buy it in stores it's still full price. Pretty good deal. Anyway, I'm a COD guy and I'm going to wait on MW3. I don't think I'd spend enough time with Gears to justify the purchase. I finished the first two but I wasn't a fan of the online. Personally if I want to go online and I'm playing a tactical shooter with a cover system I love the Rainbow 6 series(new game dropping next year. Vegas #1 may be my all-time favorite shooter) and if I want to do some running and gunning I roll with the COD series. My playing habits are a lot like yours though. If I like something I usually stick with it for a long time. I don't "expand my horizons" very often. Dark Souls is an exception because I am a sucker for sword combat.

Haha yeah if your not accustomed to the online, or for that matter in game mechanics of GoW, it definitely takes some getting used to.

Rainbow Six?! New game next year?! Awesome! I remember when the first R6 came out I was blown away, love the tactictal gameplay...R62 was dope as well but I found it too similar to the first one. Hopefully they switch it up on the new one.

One of the best modes in R6V is the online co-op mode where you have to clear the map of computer controlled terrorist. I don't know why but that mode was fun as hell. Especially after a couple people died and it was down to you to finish everyone off. I don't know why, it was probably something about that little added pressure and the fact that you could still communicate with your team while they watched you run around trying not to get killed.

Indeed. It was a nice change of pace from TDM. Especially for me back then when I really was just getting into playing shooters online and wasn't any good. Another excellent thing about R6V online was character customization. While they never had weapon customization you could change many aspects about your character like your camo color/type and an assortment of equipment. My guess is that when they come out of the gate in 2012 you'll see them offer weapon customization along with character customization. I think after the popularity of COD, weapon customization is a given in most good online shooters.

R6V online was an awesome experience. It wasn't as rushed as COD is, it took more strategy and repelling through a window and t bagging two unsuspecting players in a game of TDM is always memorable.

It was mostly closed quarters combat so if you like sniping you could do it but it really wasn't a sniper's game. Me, I still don't know how to snipe so I stay away from that.

Pfft Call of duty... Uncharted 3 all the way! Batman arkham city looks pretty sick too. The first one was good

I play COD for the multiplayer. I agree the Uncharted series has a top notch campaign(finished 1&2 when I owned a PS3) but people don't buy Uncharted for multiplayer, just like people don't buy COD for the campaign. Apples and Oranges. I'm the type of gamer who now only has time to fit in an hour before bed so I have difficultly getting into games with great stories. Mindless violence is where it's at when you're a casual gamer.

Played Battlefield 3 for a couple hours over the past few nights. Talk about fun. This "working as a team" concept was foreign to me coming from the COD series. I won MVP of a match by just driving around in a tank taking flags. I posted a mere 4-4 in the complete match while doing it. 4-4 would take all of two minutes and would be a tough start in Black Ops. Totally different type of game. A nice change but I don't think this is "better" than COD. I understand why its so popular though.